By: Noah Hooper
6’8 2022 Kingston Christie (NLPB Big Cats 17U)
Although Christie has not developed into his body fully, that is what makes this kid an intriguing prospect. What caught my attention with Christie was not a finesse or flashy style of play, but the things he did to play the role that his team needed such as running the floor hard, being active on defense, crashing the offensive, and defensive glass, and disrupting shots at the rim. What further entices me about Christie is his nice touch around the rim. Considering how hard Christie runs the floor in most transition situations, his soft touch will reward him as he is more coordinated than most guys his size and age. Furthermore, I believe this kid has a chance to be special in the future based on his solid shooting mechanics. I can tell this aspect of his game is a work in progress, but in the right situation and with lots of repetition, he has a chance to be a reliable shooter from beyond the arc in the future. This kid should definitely be on college coaches’ radar solely based on the fact that his ceiling is really high.
6’0 2022 Jacob Adams (Vaughan Panthers 17U)
Adams impressed me in session 1 and has really built on that in session 2 as his quickness and floor general-like game really showed. Not only was Adams a floor general this morning, but he was also highly active on defense as his motor is college-ready. Adams also showed me that he has a really smooth pull-up jumper as his quickness allows him to easily get into his shot after blowing by defenders. Moreover, Adams was great in transition as his passing ability allows him to almost always make the right decision in the open court, which is a natural quality that not many possess. Despite being undersized, Adams can really bring a lot to a college roster and I hope coaches recognize what he can do for a team as a floor general.
6’5 Lamonte Cousar (Team Synergy 2023)
What first stuck out to me about Lamonte was his strong, mature frame and how he was able to use it to get whatever he wanted in the paint area. He also showed his craftiness in the lane as well as has the ability to be an acrobatic finisher here and there. Not only is he strong and can finish well through contact, but he also had a high motor today which made him very active on defense throughout the entire game. Lastly, Cousar showed through his solid mechanics that he has the potential to be a bigger guy that can stretch the floor, which will open up his dominant downhill game in the future. I hope college coaches take the time to look at this kid as his mature body will allow him to come into a program and make an immediate impact some day.
6’5 2022 Daniel Lubamba (Charlotte Royals 17U)
While Mckelvy might get most of the recognition for this Charlotte Royals team, Daniel Lumbamba is a very solid piece for the Royals and it shows through his high motor and ability to guard 1-5. Throughout his time on the floor in his afternoon game vs the Louisville Prospects, he was very active on defense and even made one play above the rim. Furthermore, he showed that he could knock down the three and put it on the deck a little bit, which makes him versatile enough to fit into a lot of college programs given his height at 6’5. Whatever program at the next level lands Lumbamba will be very lucky as he is a very versatile prospect with a long frame.